Housing prices have
been making a sluggish recovery after dropping sharply during
the recession. As of August 2012, the median price was $445,000.

Average apartment rents are currently increasing in Orange County after hitting
their highest level in August 2012, at $1,645.

Total housing permits in Orange County felt large decreases during late 2010
and early 2011, yet since April 2011 the number of building permits
has increased drastically compared to previous months mainly led
by the City of Irvine which has posted building permits in the
triple digit ranges. Yet, since July 2011 the number of building
permits in Orange County has fallen back to average 2010 numbers.
However, the first half of 2012 has shown a positive trend in
the number of permits allocated in the county before the most
recent figures trailed off to average levels.

This indicator shows the average apartment rent for major Orange County
cities and for the county average as a whole. The county average as a whole
is not the average of the seven cities shown in this chart but for all the
cities in Orange County.

This indicator measures the number of homes that have foreclosed each month
by county. Because of different data accumulation methods, this indicator
is not directly comparable to the “Total Number of Homes in Some Stage of
Foreclosure” indicator.